Death by Beach Read

Lucy Richardson and Connor MacNeil are engaged, and have found a house in which to begin their life together. It's a beach cottage previously owned by Ralph Harper, the cottage has sat empty for decades, not wanted by Ralph nor his sister Jo, but he's refused to sell until now, stating that he knows Lucy and Connor will take care of the home.

But since it's been empty, there are many renovations that need to be done, and are being handled by Connor and his father, Fred. Still, Lucy doesn't mind living in the home while everything is being fixed, and her co-worker Louise Jane is ecstatic because now she's living in the library loft once occupied by Lucy. But it doesn't stop Louise Jane from telling tales about the house, especially that show more it's haunted. While Lucy refuses to listen, one night while Connor is out of town she hears noises, and awakens to find footprints in the dust in the living area and her patio door ajar. Not telling Connor, she still refuses to believe it's a ghost.

But when Connor returns home and they go out one evening, they return to the house only to find a dead body in the kitchen -- which turns out to be the twin brother of Ralph Harper. Jimmy Harper has been gone for decades, the black sheep of the family who's spent time in jail for various crimes.
They've come to believe that he was searching for something valuable, but everything worth anything Ralph has already removed. To add to the mystery, Jo hasn't stepped foot in the house for decades, ever since she was chased away by the ghost of her grandfather. Since then, she's lived with Ralph and refused to leave the house except for short walks. Now Lucy wants to know who's going into her home when she's away, and more importantly, who is the person who killed Jimmy, and why?

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read them all. In my opinion, this is the best of the series. I love mysteries, and I especially love historical mysteries within them. Since the original mystery is decades old, that needs to be solved also, and Lucy is on top of both. She likes Ralph and when she meets his sister Jo, she likes her too, and doesn't want to believe that either one of them killed Jimmy. But the suspect list is sparse, since there aren't a lot of people around who knew the man and would have a reason forty years later to kill him.

Yet there most definitely is someone stalking Lucy, and she wants to know who it is, and why. She can't put her head to planning her wedding or decorating her new home until she knows what is going on, and she's not getting the information she needs from the Harpers.

I think part of the reason I like this book the best is the fact that Lucy finally grows a spine and stands up to people. It's about time that she stopped allowing everyone to walk all over her and push her around just because it was the path of easiest resistance. It's good seeing this 'new' Lucy; she finally is able to say no to people and it helps in her investigation. It also strengthens (believe it or not) her relationship with Louise Jane, who had always pretty much been a nemesis until this point.

In the end, when the killer is revealed, it comes as a surprise, which is a good thing, and the reasons are as old as time itself. The mystery is solved (as we know it will be) and Lucy and Connor can look forward once again to planning their wedding, and I hope that we as readers will be right there with them. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. show less

As always, I love the parts with Charles, the library cat who has moved out of the lighthouse library with Lucy. He is even a hero cat this time around! Lucy and her fiancée, Connor have moved into a fixer upper house on the beach. It is a historical beauty part of the Unpainted Aristocracy of Nag’s Head, and like some old homes, it comes with a bit of drama and secrets. I love books with houses that contain all these old legends and family ghosts and secrets – I can’t help it. I am that person who wanders through old homes and buildings and thinks, “If only these walls could talk.” It’s the history lover in me, I can’t help but wonder what lives have been lived there, what beautiful moments passed there, and also, what show more sad and tragic ones. Lucy and Connor’s home has quite the legend too – one that scared the child of the former owners away from the home for forty years. It was a sad tale, in a way, but I felt like the mystery unraveled very organically, and the resolution was filled with hope. We also get bits and pieces of Lucy and Connor’s upcoming wedding, which I am looking forward to as well! show less

Death by Beach Read by Eva Gates is ninth A Lighthouse Library Mystery. It can be read as a standalone, but you will be missing out on a delightful series. I thought Death by Beach Read was well-written with realistic, developed characters. I enjoy the wonderful descriptions of the Outer Banks. I would love to live in that area. All our favorite characters are back plus a couple of new additions. Charles, the library cat, returns with attitude. Charles is one smart cat and a good judge of character. The mystery was fun. It was well-plotted with red herrings and good clues. I like how the mystery ties into the book that the book club is reading. I was delighted with the spookiness of the mystery. I was able to solve the mystery early in show more the book, but that did not hinder my pleasure. The reveal was exciting and provided the answers Lucy had been seeking. I loved the descriptions of the unpainted aristocracy homes including Lucy and Connor’s. I was sorry when my visit to the Outer Banks came to an end. Death by Beach Read is a hauntingly good time with unpainted aristocracy renovations, baffling footsteps, a Nathaniel Hawthorne novel, a jolly Louise Jayne, a haunted history, a mystifying murder, and a fiery finish. show less

“Death by Beach Read” is Lucy Richardson’s story, her first person narrative. Until recently she lived in a cozy home on the fourth floor of the lighthouse where she is the Assistant Director of the library housed there. She has always loved books, and as a child she imagined that the characters in books came out at night to chat with each other. She was destined to be a librarian.

Lucy is soon to be married to Connor McNeal, and the couple has just moved into their “dream” house. At least it will be their dream house when Conner and his dad finish the remodeling. It is a classic old beach house built partially on stilts, and even has sliding boards to allow them a view of the water at high tide. They both love that old house; show more they just hope that the house will love them back since rumor has it that the house is haunted. Lucy was even warned that she should not marry Connor and should not move into that house. She thinks all that “stuff” is just nonsense and that the house is just an old house. That is, until she finds a dead body on her new kitchen floor.

“Death by Beach Read” is book nine in the “Lighthouse Library Mystery” series, but as a first time reader, I had no trouble following along. There are a few references to past events, but needed information is seamlessly included as part of the current narrative. The characters are genuine and likable. Their words and deeds smoothly move the story along; they make things happen.

I also listened to the audio version of “Death by Beach Read” narrated by Elise Arsenault who has a multi-dimensional voice that creates an atmosphere that is at various times is melodic, reassuring, and matter of fact. At other times there is urgency in the narration, a tone of anticipation and yet dread of what is to come. Voices of the characters are distinct with the appropriate emotion and accent, although male voices are somewhat of a challenge. The narrative flows nicely with fluid dialogue transitions.
I received print and audio review copies of “Death by Beach Read” from Eva Gates, Crooked Lane Books, and Dreamscape Media. The book is quick to read with a little mystery, a little suspense, and a lot of fun. It is a simple story told simply well. The audio version provides a different experience, with the narrator perhaps supplying a little more absorbing involvement for the reader. Both versions are filled with compelling personalities as well as some mystery and suspense.

“Death by Beach Read” is now available in print, as an eBook, and as an audiobook from independent bookstores, online booksellers, retail stores, public libraries and anywhere you get your books. show less

This series, set in the Outer Banks, quickly became a favorite and remains so. Lucy and Connor moved into their new home while Connor and his father continue renovations. When a dead man's body appears in their home, strangled by Charles the cat's leash, Lucy notices a strong resemblance to a man she knows and suspects it might be the man's relative. It turns out to be his estranged twin brother. The awful Diane Uppiton who caused so many headaches in the first book in the series comes back to town in this installment. Everyone expects she's trying to weazel her way back onto the library board. We also meet Jo Harper, the sister of the twin brothers, who has lived reclusively with her brother for years. Lucy even talks her into coming show more to the book club's discussion for [The House of the Seven Gables]. The tale relates events from the prohibition era up to the present as they relate to the house and parts of the current story, but the story is told entirely in the present. (I much prefer this to the dual or triple story line.) It's a long wait for the next in series! show less

When we vacationed at the Outer Banks every summer, I made the pilgrimage to Island Books in Corolla to pick up the latest Eva Gates. With aging parents making the trek difficult and hurricanes regularly chasing us away, we have given up the trip. But, I keep up with Gates. Death by Beach Read was the most recent installment and we find librarian Lucy and her fiance Connor, the mayor of Nags Head, moved into their old beach house and preparing for their wedding. Is the house haunted? Is there a treasure to be found? Those are the questions that come up when they find a former occupant of the house dead in their kitchen.

I love this series and keeping up with the various characters including Louise Jane, who has taken over Lucy's show more apartment in the Bodie Island Lighthouse where the library is located and Theodore, the rare book dealer who aspires to greater things with his British accent and tweed suits. A true cozy mystery where the murders happen off stage. show less

Charles Dickens is the hero of this story. . . Charles the library cat, that is. Lucy and Conner have purchased an unpainted aristocracy house owned by a local man and his sister, but uninhabited since his parents died 15 years ago. It has good bones, but needs a lot of work and updating. It’s on stilts on the beach, as those homes are, and perfect for Lucy and Conner. Charles is now living there with them, and commuting to the library with Lucy. It’s their dream house, or at least was, until strangers starting lurking around at night, noises are heard in the house in the middle of night, and oh yes, a dead body is found in their kitchen after they arrived home after a pleasant evening out. It’s almost business as usual for Lucy, show more but everyone is concerned for her safety. Add in a reclusive former owner, an obnoxious former resident, a mysterious fire, and maybe a current ghost, and you have all the elements you need for an intriguing tale of mystery and murder. Anything Eva Gates writes is well worth the read. Throw in the charming setting of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and you have everything you need for a great afternoon of pleasurable reading. show less